Organic is a broad term given to food that has been grown without the use of synthetic chemicals, fertilizers, seed treatments, pesticides, herbicides, and so on. In the case of meat, animals are raised without the use of antibiotics, steroids, etc… Vegetables (and other plants) grown in this way produce “organic” seeds. It should be noted that an organic seed does not necessarily produce an organic plant, because it is the method of growing that determines whether something is organic. Likewise, conventionally grown seeds (seeds that have not specifically been grown in an organic fashion) may produce organic vegetables if the grower chooses.
Certified Organic growers, seed handlers, and packers must adhere to strict rules regarding the methods they use, and they are subject to audits by regulatory bodies in order to maintain their certification. Although many seeds may be produced in an organic manner, only Certified Organic seeds can bear the name. For more information on acquiring Certified Organic status, please visit the website of the Canadian Organic Growers at www.cog.ca.
West Coast Seeds is a Certified Handler of Organic Seeds.
Unless a seed variety is marked CERTIFIED ORGANIC, the farm that produced the seed lacks organic certification. Many of our seeds are grown organically and these are marked in the description of the variety. We are certified by the Pacific Agriculture Certification Society (PACS) and our number is 16-205. West Coast Seeds is a Certified Handler of Organic Seeds, meaning that we have obtained organic certificates from our seed suppliers and that there is a clear paper trail between the seeds we purchase and the seeds we sell. In addition, we do certification checks to prevent organic seeds from being contaminated (fungicides, rodenticides or other sources of contamination) or confused with non-organic seed during handling.
All Of Our Seeds Are Untreated
West Coast Seeds does not carry any treated seeds (e.g. seeds with a fungicide on them) and we do not, to the best of our knowledge, carry any Genetically Modified seeds.
For Organic Growers
If you require a copy of our Certified Handler Certificate for your CB, please let us know on your order and we will send a copy with your seeds.
Pelleted Seeds with Organic Coating
Small seeds like carrot seeds, onion seeds and lettuce seeds are sometimes “pelleted.” Each seed is coated with a layer of clay to increase its size for easier handling. This makes spacing the seeds much easier and enables growers to use set spacing on their seeding machines. It also increases evenness in germination. The few varieties of seeds we offer as pelleted are prepared with organic materials, and contain no seed treatment or chemicals.